The invention relates to a stackable container and a blank for forming such a stackable container.
Stackable containers or boxes (also referred to as "trays" or "dishes") for containing, packaging, and/or transporting perishable products are known. These containers are stacked one on top of the other and therefore must be able to withstand significant compression, depending on the weight of material in the containers and the height of the stack. That is, a container at the bottom of a stack must withstand all of the weight of the containers stacked above it. Such stress tends to deform or even break the lower container which may cause an entire stack to become unbalanced and topple over.
This a particular problem for relatively large containers formed of corrugated cardboard (or equivalent material) with horizontally corrugated sides. Such sides can be easily deformed or broken by the weight of a stack.
It is also important to properly position stackable containers directly on top of each other to create a balanced, stable stack.
A stackable tray has been created by IBEROAMERICANO DEL EMBALAJE, S.A., deposited in Spain under No. 284,792. This tray has double walls in two of its opposite sides and a support and slotting mechanism at its corners.
However, prior art stackable containers have been either (1) inadequately reinforced and therefore relatively unsafe and unstable or (2) adequately reinforced, but complicated, requiring an uneconomic amount of material, and/or being expensive to manufacture.